'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran
When it comes to children I think freedom can be a confusing thing. Does too much freedom create unruly children? Does too little create timid children afraid to reach out? I don't have the answer but I know that throughout my childhood my mother managed to achieve a near perfect balance of freedom.
She let me play, explore and adventure on my own. I can remember having the freedom to play out with my friends, walk to my grandma's and ride my bike around the local area. She would say 'don't go beyond XYZ' and I never did. I think part of the reason I respected the boundaries she set was because I felt like had so much freedom and room to explore before I hit those boundaries.
I hope that I can create a similar environment for Iris. Times have changed since 'my day' and it's hard to imagine a time when Iris will be running round the estate by herself but I know that I want her to feel confident and safe. I want her to be streetwise but not afraid. I want to cross her over the road and say 'go straight to nannans' just like my mother did for me.
Thanks for reading,
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That's such a sweet photo of Iris, it looks like she's really enjoying her freedom. I agree with you about finding the balance, it is difficult in today's climate though as we are all much more aware of the dangers than when we were small. #livingarrows
ReplyDeleteI wonder whether things have really changed over time or it's just that social media has a bigger part in it all these days #LivingArrows
ReplyDeleteI liked reading this. I had a very similar experience as a child and now I give my children as much freedom as possible whilst still being able to see them. It's a juggling act x
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